Boys Chase Boys
by Princess-Bobbypins
Summary: In a playful attempt to get the presidents of his top two tech companies to stop their long, "unnecessary" feud, Pegasus throws a mandatory party for all of his corporate partners and top investors. As soon as Siegfried of the Schroeder Corp arrives, the atmosphere goes from pleasant to downright dreadful. How can Pegasus ever get his two best partners to get along? Yaoi, Lemon
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Boys Chase Boys

**Summary: **In a playful attempt to get the presidents of his top two tech companies to stop their long, "unnecessary" feud, Pegasus throws a mandatory party for all of his corporate partners and top investors. As soon as Siegfried of the Schroeder Corp arrives, the atmosphere goes from pleasant to downright dreadful. How can Pegasus ever get his two best partners to get along? Especially when Seto Kaiba is so horribly stubborn?

**Contains: **Yaoi, Lemon, Pegasus being Mischievous

**Pairing: **Seto X Siegfried

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or ANY of the characters.

**Author's Note: **I was commissioned to write a new fic with this pairing—but that's really just a great excuse to break out the old Rosenshipping! Will be a three/four part fic :)

( ) ( ) ( )

Pegasus leaned back at his desk, rubbing his temples and groaning as the two CEOs of his top two companies argued back and forth over video chat on the screen in front of them. He had had a large project in mind, wanting to combine the Schroeder Corp's newest, creative innovations and Kaiba Corp's reliable, patented technology.

He knew the conversation would eventually dissolve into a fight—the two boys being as different as oil and water—but he hadn't expected it to start so soon.

Something about the rose-haired gentleman really set Kaiba-boy off. As soon as Pegasus made his proposal, Kaiba started laying on insult after insult that Siegfried tried to ignore—for the sake of being professional—before he lost his temper and started screaming, sometimes in English, most often in German.

"How can you expect me to work with him!? You really have lost your edge, Pegasus. That man _ruined_ my tournament! Why would I _ever_ agree to work with him?"

"What happened to your tournament was your own fault! How could you not recognize the face of your own rival company!?"

"Kaiba Corp has no rivals! We're number one in the industry—there's no second best!"

"My products sell! My products are _affordable_ to _everyone!_ How can you say I'm not at _least_ second best!?"

"At _least?_ Your company is worthless—I've seen your reports. You're losing money. If it weren't for Pegasus losing his mind and buying into your pathetic company, you would've gone under years ago!"

"At least I have culture!" Of course, Siegfried was the one to make it personal. Kaiba never wanted anything to be personal. He probably would've liked it if the public began to believe that he was really a hologram born of a super computer, no past, no history.

"Culture!? You sabotaged my tournament and made a fool of yourself _and_ your brother! How can you call that cultured?"

"I was sick!"

"Of course someone 'cultured' like you would consider being stupid and jealous a sickness."

"I _was_ sick!" Siegfried's tone finally broke away from stern and began to sound hurt. If Kaiba pushed him much further, Pegasus knew his plan would never work. He had to get them to stop…but they were both so stubborn.

"You're crazy."

"I was sick…"

"Sick in the head."

"Stop it, both of you!" Pegasus shouted. "Or you'll both be dropped when contract time comes and I'll go to Fenz Incorporated!"

"Who the hell is Fenz Incorporated?" Kaiba snapped.

"They're run out of America. They make knock-off reproductions of your Duel Disks. Where do you think people keep getting specialized Duel Disks from?" Siegfried asked. His tone was still low, showing that his feelings were still hurt. Pegasus had a feeling that there was something more going on under the surface of Siegfried's rivalry with Kaiba Corp. Maybe it all started with his father's verbal abuse and excessive pushing—telling him he had to defeat the Kaiba's or prove that he was nothing but a useless mistake—but it has escalated from obsession to what looked like admiration.

"I always figured they were coming from you. It would be just like you to work with other snakes," Kaiba muttered. "But I guess you can't even get crooks to do business with you."

Pegasus' stomach sank as he watched Siegfried's eyes fill with hurt. He tried to think of something to say, opening his mouth but then closing it immediately and shaking his head, pink bangs swaying back and forth. A second later, his chat window turned black and he'd signed off.

"Do you see now why I told you that working with him was impossible?" Kaiba muttered.

"Working with _you_ is impossible," Pegasus said, losing his humor. "Sieggy-boy is delightful. He's young, he's motivated—"

"I'm younger than him and I have to say, Pegasus, I think I have more motivation. I took my company. He inherited it after his father lost his mind."

"Siegfried is creative. He has good ideas. That's why I wanted him in on this project. If you can't work with him, I have no more reasons to work with you. The deal is off."

Pegasus ended the chat, not at all meaning that he would really let the project fall into the waste bin. He just liked to see Kaiba's eyes widen when he realized he wouldn't be allowed to take over the entire plan and could possibly lose millions of dollars.

Once Kaiba was gone, Pegasus tried to get Siegfried to take another call but the German declined. He waited for over an hour before trying again, but Siegfried didn't respond to any of the video requests, phone calls, or emails.

Pegasus realized he was going to have to try something else.

( ) ( ) ( )

Siegfried stared at the invitation that had been carefully laid on his desk by his secretary. It had come in a large, black envelope—odd when Industrial Illusions had always used white—and had gold-trimmed engravings around the edges. The invitation itself was made of high-quality card stock, the same black as the envelope, and was written on in elegant, white script.

It was beautiful—but then again, everything Pegasus put effort into was beautiful. There were so many cards that Siegfried had saved and never used, just to frame—just to have the artwork safe in his possession.

The invitation told him that he was _going to be attending_ an evening dinner party at Pegasus' castle at Olde Duelists' Kingdom.

_Olde_ Duelists' Kingdom… Pegasus was starting to have a midlife crisis and it was showing…

None of the pretty, white lettering prepared him for how forceful the invitation truly was. Apparently, if Siegfried chose not to appear at the party, their contracts would immediately be void.

Siegfried couldn't risk that. Pegasus really was the only steady business Schroeder Corp had was Industrial Illusions.

But it wasn't like Siegfried to turn down a party invitation. He was sociable when he wasn't having a manic fit. Large parties were just another way to network and meet more influential people—maybe even a date for once. He was so tired of being on his own.

(He tried to convince himself that the reason he was single was because of his dedication to his work and his limited amount of time in the sun, bur really it was because his heart was already busy being fixated on someone…)

Siegfried had a feeling this part might have something to do with his refusal to answer any of Pegasus' calls after the incident with Kaiba, but he wasn't going to let himself dwell on it. The only question he wanted to have in mind was what he should wear to get the most attention—possibly even appearing better dressed than Pegasus himself.

( ) ( ) ( )

Kaiba growled to himself the whole flight to the "Olde" Duelists' Kingdom. He took the helicopter as per Pegasus' request, but insisted that he fly his own. The last thing he needed was Pegasus playing some trick and leaving him stranded on the damned island. He even had a boat ready to come get him if he called. There was no way Pegasus was going to keep him on the island any longer than necessary.

He had been unable to get Pegasus to take him off the guest least, even though he complained as much as he could. He hated parties. There were too many people trying to touch him and talk to him. He just wanted left alone—he wanted to work, not converse with busybodies. He was a businessman, not a socialite.

When he landed the helicopter, three of Pegasus' servants immediately appeared to usher him inside the large, yellow fortress. Kaiba almost screamed when the first thing his eyes lit on in the reception area was a mess of pink hair.

_Siegfried…_

"Oh, good, Kaiba-boy. You made it," Pegasus said, approaching Kaiba with a wine glass in hand.

"You didn't give me much choice," Kaiba said bitterly. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"Well, you ruined our conference call, so this was the only way I could get ahold of him," Pegasus said, grinning and taking a sip of wine.

"He's that much of a drama queen, huh?" Kaiba asked, narrowing his eyes as he met Siegfried's gaze from across the reception hall.

"Well of course! Just look at that outfit."

"Did he darken his hair just to match that suit?" Kaiba asked, only engaging in trivial gossip in hopes that it would make Pegasus let him leave sooner.

"Maybe. Sometimes I think his hair changes with his mood. When he was younger it was darker than Leon's is now."

"How fascinating," Kaiba muttered.

"You owe him an apology, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said, grinning.

"I don't owe him anything. He ruined my tournament and you signed him on as a partner! The one who deserves an apology is me."

"You lost that right when you refused to entertain my proposal. I want you and Sieggy-boy to get along and work with me on _my_ new project! That can't happen if you upset him so much he won't take my calls."

"Maybe he shouldn't be so sensitive. I run a business, not a counseling service. If he can't handle some criticism, he doesn't deserve to work with me."

"Apologize to him, Kaiba-boy, or you lose your contract with me and I'll give it to him. That new and improved duel system you've got in the works?—will never happen." Pegasus shrugged nonchalantly and looked across the reception hall at Siegfried who was hiding by the champagne bar.

"What would I even say? That I'm sorry he's insane and ruined my tournament?"

"That's you're sorry you're too uncivilized to handle a video conference and that you'd be _honored_ to work with his creative genius on _my_ project."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and shouldered past Pegasus into the crowd in the reception hall. There was no chance he'd actually apologize, but he'd make peace in his own words. He had no choice.

( ) ( ) ( )

Siegfried couldn't help but cringe when he spotted Seto Kaiba walking toward him. It was the first time they were together face to face since the botched tournament and he had a lingering fear that Kaiba was going to break every bone in his body. Why had Pegasus forced him to come here? Kaiba couldn't even bear to have a telechat with him—what was he going to do now that they were here in one room together?

"Look, you snake, if I know anything about Pegasus—and I'm convinced I know a lot more than you—he's got you cornered. Either we work on this stupid fantasy project of his or he terminates our contracts."

"He can't just back out of a contract," Siegfried mumbled, trying to make himself sound arrogant, trying to sound smug, but he couldn't. He was still embarrassed about what he'd done.

"Who's to stop him?" Kaiba asked.

"It's not a difficult project," Siegfried said. "The hardest part is working in close proximity to you."

"Don't act so confident. You were practically crying when you ended the video conference. I know the kind of person you are."

Siegfried sighed and bowed his head. He felt that Pegasus could've asked any company—and _lone_ company—to complete his project. He didn't need Kaiba Corp or Schroeder Corp, and he definitely didn't need them together. Pegasus planned this whole thing. Perhaps it was his form of punishment, to irritate Kaiba for always questioning Pegasus's motives and to _torture_ Siegfried for turning a Duel Monsters tournament into a horrible disaster.

"It's an easy job. With your technology, we can probably have a prototype ready in less than six months." Whenever he'd been backed into corners before, by his father or anyone else, Siegfried always knew flattery to work best. "I do have some ideas…"

"I can do this on my own. Knowing you, you'll try to find some way to sabotage me."

"I would not! I'm back on my medication," Siegfried said, not without a degree of humiliation.

"So you admit that you're crazy."

"I was sick!" Siegfried yelled.

"Whatever. You can give yourself whatever kind of excuse you want, you're still a failure."

"What you think of me doesn't matter! Pegasus wants us to work together on this project, and I'm not going to let your judgments and your tasteless attitude make me lose my partnership with him!"

"I'll work with you, but if you try to sabotage me, I'll burry your pathetic company."

"Fine," Siegfried said. "I have no interest in ruining your company. My reputation is bad enough as it is. Let's just… Let's just get this over with, alright?"

Siegfried held out his hand for Kaiba to shake, partly for show so Pegasus would see and stop watching them likes hawks from across the room—and partly to feel Kaiba's skin against his own.

They'd met before, as children. They'd shook hands then. Siegfried remembered meeting Seto Kaiba's gaze for the first time. Those blue eyes. They were perfectly blue, not like his own—not muddled with yellows or greens.

Siegfried had seen many beautiful people, even by that point in his life. Though Kaiba's eyes had stricken him to the core, he would've forgotten them within weeks if not for his father. If his father didn't force him to constantly have Seto Kaiba in his mind, he would've found other blue eyes to look at and think about—obsess over and long for.

It was horrible to have to compete with Seto. He was brilliant—he grew to be handsome and powerful. He was everything Siegfried had ever wanted…

His father made him obsessed with Kaibas—those blue eyes made him obsessed with Seto…

Obsession, fascination, madness…

"Fine."

Siegfried's heart fluttered in his chest when Kaiba grasped his hand and shook it, firmly like a real businessman. It would be a lie if Siegfried said he didn't blush.

( ) ( ) ( )

Kaiba growled deep in his throat as he approached the large, grey, stone castle. Pegasus was forcing him to work with Siegfried in the _Von Schroeder labs._ That meant Kaiba was forced to go to the _Schroeder castle. _The guy lived in a damned castle! It was like he and Pegasus were extensions of the same being—long hair, effeminate mannerisms, flashy castles. It was no wonder Pegasus was so found of the pink-haired freak.

"Herr Kaiba?" asked a woman standing by the massive front doors of the castle.

"Who else?" Kaiba replied.

"Herr Schroeder wartet auf Sie," the woman said, opening the door and leading Kaiba inside. He didn't think it would help if he told her he didn't speak German, but what she wanted was self-explanatory. Her boss was expecting him…

Kaiba was led through hallway after hallway until finally he approached a pair of massive, carved wooden doors. The servant knocked and announced him before opening the door and leading him inside. Kaiba was surprised that beyond the old-fashioned, classic doors lie an almost modern office.

Siegfried had been on the phone with someone, but as soon as his eyes met Kaiba's, he abruptly ended the conversation and hung up the phone.

"How nice of you to join me, Herr Kaiba. You're two days late."

"I left when I had the time to waste on you and this project. Now stop wasting my time complaining. What have you finished?"

"Always so impatient, Herr Kaiba," Siegfried said, all of his smugness back in his attitude now that he was in his own home. "Come, I have some things to show you."

Siegfried stood up from his desk and flipped a long lock of his hair over his shoulder in one fluid motion. He was so…effeminate. The more he spoke, the more he moved, Kaiba began to wonder if Siegfried weren't actually a woman. He wondered how flustered he could get Siegfried to become if he asked.

It was an inappropriate question, but it would be worth it to get that arrogance out of Siegfried's tone as he showed Kaiba into his makeshift lab. There wasn't much that could be done with the space since it was housed in a _castle—_a cold, damp, temperamental castle—but it still served its purpose. There were schematics and charts hung on almost every wall, bits of wire and metal fragments piled in odd spaces on the floor, and there was some large computer in the dead center of the room. Nothing was organized, nothing looked elegant and graceful like the rest of the German CEO's appearance or style.

Perhaps he actually could do work. Who would've guessed?

"We both know Pegasus is a very…particular person. When he has an idea, he wants it to turn out the way he envisioned it—and he'll never let on about what he has in mind because he'd rather watch us squirm than lend a hand in design," Siegfried said, starting up the computer and unlocking it with keycard and password combination. "I've managed to show him some designs that he wants me to combine, but I don't know the best way to combine them or how I could wire it to work. That's not my specialty."

"So what you're telling me is you got electrocuted working on your last project and that's why you act like a woman." Kaiba held back his smirk when he was the look of pure irritation and rage cross Siegfried's face.

"I would be careful if I were you, Herr Kaiba. You're in my home now, and if you make me mad I can just walk off and you'll be lost for hours trying to find your way back to the door."

"I have an iconographic memory. I don't get lost. If I got here, I know the way back. So unless you have walls that move, I'm not too worried."

Siegfried glared at him and then turned his focus back to his computer. As much as Kaiba hated to admit it, Siegfried did have a lot of design ideas that would easily please Pegasus. Too often Kaiba had been told that his old duel towers and duel arenas were too modern and too unappealing to the eye. Siegfried, it seemed, knew how to make technology look stylish and yet approachable and sleek. When he thought of Siegfried designing technology, he pictured frills and lace and bows crafted from steel—not rounded edges and aerodynamic ridges.

"Hm. Not bad," Kaiba said, pleased when the German didn't get all emotional when he was finally given a compliment. "It's definitely the kind of design that would please Pegasus."

"It needs work," Siegfried said, almost in resignation as he brought up a horrible circuit chart on the computer screen.

"That will never work. Ever," Kaiba said, almost cringing at the horrible schematic. "It's no wonder Pegasus wanted me here. You haven't tried to make this work yet, have you?"

"No. I had a feeling it would short itself out and ruin the board. The ones I have are expensive. I can't afford to go through more ten of them on a project."

"Ten? You've burned through ten boards on projects before?"

"More than ten," Siegfried muttered. Kaiba rolled his eyes. It really was no wonder Pegasus wanted him here to babysit. Siegfried was likely to get himself electrocuted or set his entire house on fire if someone didn't check his work. It was a wonder the guy was still alive when he came up with charts like _that._

"That adaptor isn't even strong enough for this kind of device. You need to triple it—maybe even more than that."

"Oh?" Siegfried said, his tone a little too agreeable. Kaiba began to feel suspicious. There was no way the Schroeder Corp had made it so far if Siegfried was really that incompetent. Was he really just playing dumb?

Either way, Kaiba was glad Siegfried was stepping aside and letting him work. This whole visit would be so much worse if Siegfried fought every one of his moves and ideas. Playing dumb beat being wrong and stubborn about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Boys Chase Boys

**Summary: **In a playful attempt to get the presidents of his top two tech companies to stop their long, "unnecessary" feud, Pegasus throws a mandatory party for all of his corporate partners and top investors. As soon as Siegfried of the Schroeder Corp arrives, the atmosphere goes from pleasant to downright dreadful. How can Pegasus ever get his two best partners to get along? Especially when Seto Kaiba is so horribly stubborn?

**Contains: **Yaoi, Lemon, Pegasus being Mischievous

**Pairing: **Seto X Siegfried

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or ANY of the characters.

**Author's Note: **This took longer than I had hoped, but it's a long chapter! This will probably be four chapters, officially. So, after this, two more to go!

( ) ( ) ( )

Kaiba had tried to decline eating dinner with the Schroeder family, having a strong feeling that if Siegfried had had a problem with him, his father definitely would as well. As he'd guessed, as soon as the true Herr Schroeder entered the massive dining room and spotted Kaiba at his table, he barked out something in German and left the same way he'd come in.

"I told him you'd be here," Siegfried said from the seat to the left of the head of the table. A woman with red hair and a champagne glass attached to her lips sat across from him and Leon sat next to her. Kaiba sat on Siegfried's side of the table, but with three empty seats between them. There had originally only been one empty space, but Kaiba had taken it upon himself to get further away.

"I told you I didn't want to come to dinner with your family," Kaiba muttered.

"Father will…"

"He'll get over it," Leon said when his older brother failed to come up with any words.

"The man is mad—he'll forget it by tomorrow," the redheaded woman said, her accent much heavier than her oldest son's.

"Mutter, er braucht nicht zu wissen," Siegfried said rapidly.

"Hush, boy—It's rude to talk in your native tongue when your _guest_ doesn't understand you."

"_Mutter…"_

"Don't _Mutter, Mutter_ me! It's rude! You're rude!" The woman finished her glass of champagne. As soon as it was empty she made a hand gesture and a maid waiting by the doorway refilled the glass.

"She's drunk," Siegfried murmurer in Kaiba's direction, as if he didn't think his guest could figure it out on his own. It was starting to make more sense why Siegfried was as eccentric as he was—having been raised by a drunk and a psychopath, he was actually doing quite well in life.

"How often is she like this?" Kaiba asked, looking to Leon who was slowly eating his dinner with a vacant expression on his face. As much as he disliked Siegfried, Kaiba couldn't help but feel sorry for the man's younger brother.

"Um…" Leon looked toward his mother who was no longer paying any attention to the world outside of her dinner plate.

"I think it may be better to ask, when is she not?" Siegfried muttered.

"Is it true that Pegasus is holding you guys hostage?" Leon asked, laughing a little.

"Hostage?" Kaiba asked.

"Yeah—work together or lose your contracts." He smiled as he said it, a small spark of sadism in his eyes.

"That is the arrangement," Siegfried said.

"Stupid boy," his mother grumbled to herself.

"Mother…"

"You let that _schwul_ manipulate you," she hissed. "Why you let him make you—…make you be with this boy? I remember this boy, you know? He was… Didn't Kaiba buy you?" The drunk woman pointed in Seto's direction with a piece of cutlery, waving it at him when he didn't answer immediately. "He bought you from somewhere didn't he…boy?"

"His name is Seto, Mutter. If you're not going to address him formally…"

"I don't have to address him _formally,_" his mother said arrogantly. "He's no one to me—just some boy Kaiba bought off the street."

"Adopted, Mother—It's rude to say such things."

"I can say what I want. This is _my_ house."

The two continued to bicker back and forth and Kaiba turned to look at Leon who was eating his dinner as if nothing were amiss.

"Is it always like this?" Kaiba asked him. He kept his voice quiet so the irate woman wouldn't hear.

"Worse," Leon said.

"Does she ever stop?"

"When she passes out," Leon admitted. "Sometimes Siegfried just stops answering her, but then she just gets mad."

"And this happens…every day?"

"Three times a day. She's worse sober."

Kaiba sighed and shook his head. It wasn't hard for him to pity children trapped in dysfunctional homes. He'd spent two years in an orphanage where parents and relatives tossed away their abused kids, starving kids, emotionally neglected kids… He'd heard so many horror stories about drunks, rapists, criminals, and plain coldhearted people.

He had never really blamed Leon for what happened during the tournament, and blamed him even less now. Not only was it expected that he would follow his brother's commands out of respect, but now Kaiba understood that Siegfried was probably the only member of his family he had that he could turn to. If Siegfried asked him to do anything, the boy wasn't going to ask questions—he was just going to obey.

It was pitiful, but Kaiba understood it.

Of course, once Kaiba accepted that he felt pity for Leon, he had to acknowledge that he wasn't the only victim in the house. Siegfried, too, had grown up with the aggressive madman and the drunken woman, and he'd had no one to turn to, no older brother to shield him.

Kaiba knew what it was like to have an overbearing stepfather, a guardian who had no real concern for his health or wellbeing. It hadn't been pleasant, but Kaiba could imagine that it would have been much worse had Gozaburo been his real parent. When his parents had been alive, he'd at least gotten affection from them.

Did Siegfried even know affection before Leon became a part of his life? From a maid, possibly. Some paid domestic who had no choice but to like him since it was her job to dote on him…

Deep down, Kaiba had a soft spot for kids—particularly kids from tough backgrounds. Siegfried may have grown up surrounded by riches and wealth, but he'd certainly paid the price for it. Whatever mental illness his father had, Siegfried was taking pills for, and his mother… A useless drunk who served to undermine her son's confidence and keep him anxious.

( ) ( ) ( )

"So… How's the work coming along, Sieggy-boy?" Pegasus asked, laughing as he looked at the German businessman's sallow face on his monitor.

"Not well, and you know it," Siegfried muttered.

"Oh? Why not? Is Kaiba-boy not playing nice?"

"Does he ever?" Siegfried asked, a pained look in his eyes.

"Did something happen? You look so sad." Pegasus's tone was more condescending than concerned, but Siegfried was used to that sort of behavior from him. Pegasus was a man born into success. He had everything he wanted and it didn't matter who he hurt because he'd always get his way in the end.

"My family," Siegfried said.

"Oh? Is he jealous of your big, happy, nuclear family?" Pegasus asked. He laughed because he knew full-well that Siegfried's family was anything but happy and welcoming. "If they were anything short of hospitable, you should make a point to apologize to him."

"Me? Apologize to him!?" Siegfried asked, staring at the screen in front of him in shock. "He should apologize to me! I have to live with them!"

"Yes, but it makes people uncomfortable to watch families bicker. Imagine how uncomfortable he must be now."

"He should consider himself lucky that his parents are dead and he doesn't have to deal with this nonsense," Siegfried said.

"If you're not careful, he might start to pity you," Pegasus said with a wicked smirk.

"He will not! That person couldn't possibly feel sorry for anyone." Siegfried looked hurt as he said it. Any sentiment Kaiba might have toward him other than hatred and resentment would be welcomed, even if it was pity…

"Well, I should probably let you boys get some sleep. But remember, I want proof of progress tonight— eight o'clock sharp, my time."

"But that's…that's at five in the morning here. It's midnight now—that's… That's five hours from now!" Siegfried yelled.

"Ah, I see you can still do math," Pegasus said, no sympathy at all.

"But he only just got here! We don't have _anything_ done!"

"Then I guess you'd better get to work. The night is still young!" Pegasus said no more and cut the call short, leaving Siegfried staring at the screen with an open jaw.

( ) ( ) ( )

Kaiba had just laid down to sleep when there was a sharp knock at the door. He sighed in annoyance and got back out of the bed, bitter about having his sleep interrupted before it even began. Dealing with Siegfried was exhausting. He deserved rest. How was he supposed to recharge and balance his mood if he couldn't even get a moment of peace?

"What?" Kaiba asked, opening the door and glaring at Siegfried who looked at him with the expression of a nervous _child._

"Pegasus," he said.

"What does he want now?"

"He wants proof of progress by eight o'clock."

"And why are you bothering me now?"

"Eight o'clock his time. That's five o'clock for us."

"Five in the morning?"

"Yes," Siegfried said, lowering his head. He hated himself for feeling guilty, even though it was Pegasus's ridiculous demand.

"I've been up since…" Kaiba shook his head. He hated international flying. He hated time-zone changes and jetlag. He'd been up forever and that was all that mattered. He couldn't sleep on the plane because he'd had work to do, now he was going to have to pull another all-nighter. It had been three nights since he'd actually _slept._

"We have to have something," Siegfried said quietly.

"Fine," Kaiba growled. "Give me a minute to get dressed and we'll…we'll figure something out." He slammed the door in the German's face and slowly redressed. Pegasus made him sick. All the man wanted was to make a bad situation worse and laugh at everyone else's expense.

Stupid Pegasus. Stupid Siegfried and his third-rate company…

( ) ( ) ( )

Siegfried had fallen asleep. Kaiba stared at their finished, makeshift schematic, and Siegfried was lying with his face on the table _sleeping!_

They'd come up with a rough—very rough—circuit chart, a continuation of the one they'd worked on before dinner, as well as an exterior design. Kaiba left the device's physical appearance in Siegfried's control, knowing that he knew Pegasus's style better than anyone. It was shortly after he'd finished his case that Siegfried had fallen asleep, leaving Kaiba to work out the electrical kinks (theoretically) on paper.

"Get up," Kaiba said, kicking Siegfried's chair. The German woke with a start and stood from his seat, gasping and spitting out something in his native tongue that couldn't have made sense to anyone it was so strangled. "We're finished. Fax this to Pegasus so I can go to sleep."

"But…It's almost time for breakfast," Siegfried said, picking up all of their designs, the finished and the rough, and walked away from the table. He started up an old fax machine that could very well have been an antique and then sent the documents to Industrial Illusions.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm eating with your family again," Kaiba said. "Besides. _You're_ the one who has a company to run. I'm going to bed."

"It would be…what, noon in Domino? Shouldn't _you_ be working?"

"Haven't you ever heard the phrase _mind your own business?"_

"Eat something," Siegfried said, his accent unusually heavy. "You know you won't sleep… Never sleep when there's work to be done."

"It's good to know you at least have some work ethic."

"Who do you think Gozaburo Kaiba modeled your training after? Certainly not his own child. He spoiled that boy. He had no idea how to tutor a child prodigy. No, your stepfather copied _my_ father." The look Siegfried had in his eyes when he said it made Kaiba realize it was probably true. "I _have_ work ethic. I had no choice but to succeed…and I failed anyway."

"He set you up to fail," Kaiba said, his thoughts only on that angry, bitter man he'd seen for all five seconds at dinner. All the man seemed to teach Siegfried was to destroy one single enemy—the Kaiba Corporation. Instead of giving him the skills and wit he needed to destroy companies with prowess, he'd turned his son into nothing short of an attack dog—ready to brainlessly tear out the throat of any enemy is the quickest way possible. When Kaiba Corps duelist headhunters found Siegfried's alias as a duelist and invited him to the Grand Prix tournament, Siegfried couldn't think to prepare a duel strategy to win and use it in his favor. No, he had to be drastic and dramatic, draw the most blood so to speak and make sure everyone saw that he'd done it.

Being half-crazy probably didn't help either. Hell, Kaiba would bet anything that Siegfried stopped taking his meds the moment he'd gotten that invite. He knew that if he were in his right mind he would stay out of the whole affair. He'd been torn between doing what was right and what his father had beaten into his brain.

"My father did everything he could to prepare me for a rivalry with the Kaiba Corporation. I knew I'd never win," Siegfried said. It looked as if it hurt him to admit it.

"It's good to know you know your place," Kaiba said, refusing to let this turn into some sort of soap opera confessional.

"That was why I wanted to become a game company. I would get away from that rivalry and set Schroeder Corp apart from all the others." A spark of anger flashed across Siegfried's face as the last of the documents was faxed. "It's not fair you copied me."

"I announced it first."

"I planned it first!"

"I knew I'd run a game company when I was ten."

"And I knew it was what I wanted since I was five! My father was friends with Pegasus' father. All Pegasus ever talked about was how he loved to visit his father's casinos and see all the games and how he wanted to make his own card game! _I_ was their family friend. _I_ should've been first in line for that contract, not you!"

"You're not entitled to anything just because you know Pegasus from your childhood."

"I know that," Siegfried hissed. "It drove me mad. I went through all these efforts, made all these arrangements to have a company that was different from my father's, that had _different_ rivals, and then you come along and you mess it all up. You mess everything up, and I hate you." His tone had gone from forceful and determined to the whining of an irritated housewife. When he said 'hate,' there was so little conviction that it was barely an insult at all.

"Good for you," Kaiba said, humoring the German by offering him a smirk. "Now, if you're finished whining about how unfair your life is, can we leave?"

"Fine," Siegfried said, his eyes narrowed viciously. He led Kaiba out of the office and back to his guest room even though Kaiba knew the way on his own. That bitter look never left Siegfried's face and it really should've been no surprise to Seto at all that the German would refuse to allow him to sleep. He was woken every hour on the hour by a passing made who repeatedly kicked the door each time she walked by, undoubtedly instructed to do so by her boss.

( ) ( ) ( )

After finishing some of the work he needed to do for Kaiba Corp around noon, Seto left his guest room and made his way toward the dining room. A maid—the same one who kept kicking his door—told him when to expect the meal to be served, and although Kaiba didn't want to eat with the family, he had a feeling he wouldn't be permitted to eat in his room. And he was hungry… He couldn't work well when he was starving.

Just as he was about to round another corner in the castle's endless halls, the sound of shouting reached his ears. It wasn't in alarm, but more of an aggressive sound. German was already a harsh language, but when the words were meant to harm it was much, much worse.

Kaiba could make out Siegfried's voice easily, but he'd never heard the man speak so forcefully before. Even when he'd been expressing his confidence in defeating the Kaiba Corp once and for all, he'd never been so loud or so _bold._ The other voice, of course, belonged to his father. But the man wasn't alone. There was a woman yelling right alongside him. As soon as the father would stop shouting, his wife would pick up where he left off.

Not wanting to interrupt the 'discussion,' but not wanting to stand awkwardly in the hallway either, Kaiba took a step backwards. It startled him when he bumped into something, and when he turned around Leon was standing a step behind him in his shadow.

"Come this way," Leon said, gesturing back down the hallway. "Trust me, you don't want to walk into that."

"What are they fighting about?" Kaiba asked, looking back in the direction of all the shouting. Whatever the argument was, Siegfried was losing horribly.

"You don't wanna know," Leon said, smiling as if nothing at all were amiss. "I kinda just stay out of the way."

"Is it always this bad, or is it because I'm around?" Kaiba hated that Leon was anywhere near these people let alone being forced to laugh it off like it were nothing. Children should be protected. Not necessarily sheltered from everything unpleasant, but at least shielded from fights like _this._

"Uh—It's hard to say. Some days are worse than others. This fight isn't so bad."

"What set them off?" Kaiba asked, not willing to let it go. Siegfried was going to be in no mood to work later and Kaiba wanted to know what to say and what not to say to get him motivated again. Otherwise he'd be stuck her forever working on their stupid project.

"I don't know," Leon said, shrugging despite the look of anxiety that finally broke through the grin on his face. He didn't want to tell. He'd probably been told not to. "Dad's just…having one of his moods and I think… I don't know."

"What?" Kaiba pressed, using a harsher tone because he knew it would work.

"I think he threw out Siegfried's pills."

"He dumped his medication!?" Kaiba snapped. He tried, but he couldn't hold back the horror. Now they'd _never_ finish! He was going to be stuck in this stupid castle with Siegfried who would probably start trying to poison him before the week was out—and Pegasus would be laughing in the background!

"Yeah," Leon drawled, shrugging and backing a step away. "We should go… I don't want Dad to see me here."

Kaiba was about to follow him, giving up on arguing because he wasn't about to put himself between Siegfried and his mentally ill father, but then there was a loud crash and Siegfried's voice rang out in pain. Immediately, Kaiba turned back around. He didn't particularly care for Siegfried, but he wasn't just going to stand by while the man's father killed him while his younger brother in the next room.

"Don't!" Leon hissed, grabbing Kaiba's hand and pulling as if he really thought it would stop him. "Please—Siegfried will be fine. He _always_ is. He wouldn't want you to see him like this so…let's go."

He _always_ is… Apparently this happened a lot more than Leon was letting on.

( ) ( ) ( )

By the time Kaiba saw Siegfried again, it was well past dinner time. Pegasus had called, but Kaiba ignored it. He was in no mood to hear about what the flamboyant businessman felt like nitpicking.

When Siegfried came home from the office—having gone to his corporate office from his own office around four o'clock—his foul mood showed on his face. Kaiba was waiting for him in the lab even though he hadn't gotten much work done on their project since he refused to hear Pegasus's feedback.

"Why you don't just take his call?" Siegfried asked, his English lazy. "He called me and whined for an hour before telling me what he hates about everything we made."

"That's why I didn't answer. I don't want to hear it."

"From what I've heard, you hear lots of things you're not supposed to," Siegfried said. He took off his suit jacket and threw it across the room, more out of exhaustion than frustration.

"I heard your father threw out your pills."

"Leon should not have said anything to you," Siegfried growled. "He knows better."

"He worries about you," Kaiba said. After the argument, Leon had shown Kaiba to a separate dining room where he sometimes ate alone to avoid the stress of his family. They'd eaten together and the boy had opened up to him—because he was a lonely child and he was desperate to speak to anyone who would hear what he had to say.

"I know that he does. But he doesn't have to. I take care of myself."

"Your father is crazy. Why do you still live here with him?"

"Because if I left, who would protect Leon?"

"Why not take him with you. Anyone with a brain can see your parents are unfit."

"That doesn't matter when your father is a top-rank military official. He ran a war machine company. The entire government is his friend and they won't take his kid from him."

"Why did he throw out your medication?"

"What do you care?" Siegfried snapped. "You don't like me. You don't care about me. Don't act like you do when you don't…" His anger faded into hurt again as he sank down into his chair.

"Your own father shoved you into a China cupboard."

"And ruined over one-hundred grand in antiques," Siegfried muttered. "He's mad my body broke the glass."

"You act like it doesn't even faze you."

"It doesn't," Siegfried said, locking eyes with Kaiba. "I won't bore you with details, Herr Kaiba. You don't want to hear my sob story. You've got your own."

"Are you going to be able to work without your pills?" Kaiba asked, knowing that Siegfried had a point.

"I'll manage…for a while." Siegfried sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe…a couple of weeks before everything gets…"

"Don't you have your own doctor?"

"Of course. I have money. Everyone with money has a doctor."

"So get him to give you more pills."

"I don't want to see my doctor," Siegfried said. "I'm done with this conversation. Pegasus likes what we have so far. He nitpicks, but he always does. Do you want to start on the programming or start building the circuit board?"

"That depends. How good are you at code?"

Siegfried snorted, a smirk crossing his face before his composure broke and he started to laugh.

"How good am I at code?" He asked, laughing in his shrill, maniacal way. "Better than you'll ever be." Siegfried let a smile replace his smirk, pride all over his face.

They started back to work, Siegfried actually managing to impress Kaiba with how easily he could translate schematics to movements to code. The program would be useless until the actual prototype was built, but a high-quality simulated showed the progress he'd made.

After a while, Kaiba grew tired of the stale air of the lab. The castle was cold and damp, making him feel chilled despite his layers of clothes. All it took was one complaint and Siegfried moved their work from the chilled lab to a large sitting room where a fireplace was already burning. There were rugs on the floor to cover the cold stones and tapestries on the walls. The furniture was much softer and Kaiba didn't mind working on his laptop instead of the Schroeder Corp desktop.

It irked him when Siegfried moved from the chair across from the couch to sit beside him, but Kaiba did his best to block it out. He hated having people near him when he worked…and he also didn't want caught watching Kaiba Corp stock and monitoring a few of his top employee's actions in the network.

Siegfried kept sighing and groaning, moving around on the couch as he tried to get comfortable with his own laptop. An hour passed, then another… Kaiba didn't pay much attention to the time. He was multitasking and pleasing himself with the results. He'd turned the rough sketches of their circuits into a detailed, organized graphic design, he caught an employee he didn't care for using a Kaiba Corp pc to look up porn while at his desk, and was also IMing Mokuba who wanted to know when he'd be home.

As distracted from the world around him as he was, nothing could've blocked out the feeling of a heavy weight leaning down against his shoulder. Slowly, he turned his head to look beside him.

Siegfried was asleep again…his head resting against Kaiba's shoulder. It made Kaiba's stomach twist into knots, and the feeling just got worse when he realized his first instinct wasn't to shove the man away.

Not even a week ago, the very thought of Siegfried Von Schroeder made him sick. Now, minutes ticked by and Kaiba still hadn't shoved him away or even scooted away from him… He didn't make a loud sound or cough to wake the other man up. Kaiba just…let him lay there.

Unable to really understand why, Kaiba chose to ignore it. He turned his focus back to his work and made progress while his business partner napped.

And that was how it went for the following week. Kaiba was able to work on his own business while Siegfried managed Schroeder Corp. For the first few days, Siegfried ate lunch with his parents or in his office while Kaiba ate with Leon in a separate wing of the house. Then Siegfried began taking his meals with Kaiba and his little brother instead. Even at dinner, Siegfried would find his business partner wherever the maids placed his plate and eat with him, always making polite conversation about business affairs and making jokes at Pegasus' expense.

Without Kaiba really noticing it, they'd gotten closer. Even when it became apparent that the loss of his medication was taking its toll on Siegfried's mind, Kaiba still didn't mind his presence the way he used to.

On the nights when they'd take their work to the sitting room instead of the uncomfortable lab, Siegfried still fell asleep on Kaiba's shoulder. He'd made a habit of it, drawing closer and closer each time until it was too obvious to mistake for anything other than intentional.

Kaiba told himself that he couldn't be bothered to push the German away. Then he thought that it would look good for Pegasus. If he let Siegfried touch him, then they had to be "getting along" like Pegasus wanted.

They both knew it, though. Eventually, Kaiba was going to run out of excuses.

( ) ( ) ( )

**Author's Note: **Though this chapter didn't have too much action, I promise that chapter three will be much more…climactic.


End file.
